CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of Study
On 30 January 1933, Adolf Hitler legally became Chancellor of Germany, appointed by President Paul von Hindenburg. Although he initially
headed a coalition government, he quickly made Hindenburg a figurehead and eliminated his non-Nazi partners. The Nazi regime restored economic
prosperity and ended mass unemployment using heavy military spending while suppressing labor unions and strikes. The return of prosperity gave the regime
enormous popularity, and no serious citizen opposition ever emerged to serve as a challenge to its rule, apart from a failed assassination attempt in 1944.
The Gestapo secret state police under Heinrich Himmler destroyed the liberal, Socialist and Communist opposition and persecuted the Jews,
attempting to force them into exile while taking their property. The Party took control of the courts, local government, and all civic organizations except the
Protestant and Catholic churches. All expressions of public opinion were controlled by Hitlers propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, who made
effective use of film, mass rallies, and Hitlers hypnotic speaking. The Nazi state idolized Hitler as its Führer Leader, centralizing all power in his
hands. Nazi propaganda centered on Hitler and was quite effective in creating what historians call the Hitler Myth that Hitler was all-wise and that any
mistakes or failures by others would be corrected when brought to his attention. In reality, Hitler had a narrow range of interests and decision-making
was diffused among overlapping, feuding power centers; on some issues he was passive, simply assenting to pressures from whomever had his ear. All top
officials still reported to Hitler and followed his basic policies, but they had considerable autonomy on a daily basis.
Hitlers foreign policy during the 1930s used a diplomatic strategy of making seemingly reasonable demands, threatening war if they were not met.
When opponents tried to appease him, he accepted the gains that were offered, then moved on to his next goal. That aggressive strategy worked as Germany
pulled out of the League of Nations 1933, rejected the Versailles Treaty and began to re-arm 1935, won back the Saar 1935, remilitarized the Rhineland
1936, formed an alliance axis with Benito Mussolinis Italy 1936, sent massive military aid to Franco in the Spanish Civil War 1936-39, annexed
Austria in the Anschluss 1938, took over Czechoslovakia after the British and French
appeasement
of the Munich Agreement of 1938, formed a peace pact with the Soviet Union Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in August 1939, and finally
invaded Poland in September 1939. Britain and France declared war, resulting in the start of World War II - somewhat sooner than the Nazis had prepared for
or expected.
During the war, Germany conquered or controlled most of Europe and Northern Africa, intending to establish a New Order in Europe and elsewhere
of complete Nazi German hegemony. The Nazis also persecuted and killed millions of Jews, Romani people and others in the Holocaust. Despite its Axis
alliance with other nations, mainly Italy and Japan, by 8 May 1945 Germany had been defeated by the Allied Powers, and was occupied by the Soviet
Union, the United States, Britain and France.
Hitler, the Nazis and their Holocaust became the symbol of evil in the modern world. Newman and Erber 2002 write, The Nazis have become one
of the most widely recognized images of modern evil. Throughout most of the world today, the concept of evil can readily be evoked by displaying almost
any cue reminiscent of Nazism.
Valkyrie
is one of drama and war movies that was set in Germany during World War II. The story is written by Christopher McQuarrie and
Nathan Alexander and produced by Gilbert Adler and Chris Lee.
Valkyrie
raises issue about the conspiracy to bring down Hitler’s regime in Germany and it is directed by Bryan Singer and the stars are Tom Cruise as Colonel
Claus von Stauffenberg, Carice van Houten as Nina von Stauffenberg, David Bamber as Adolf Hitler
,
Kenneth Branagh as Major-General Henning von Tresckow, Bill Nighy as General Friedrich Olbricht. This movie is distributed
by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer MGM, released in US on December 25, 2008, Germany on January 22, 2009 and the next in United Kingdom on January 23,
2009.
Valkyrie
has running time 115 minutes. In this movie there are some languages; English and German. The Internet Movie Database, 2009.
Valkyrie
was nominated by
the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy Horror Movies
for several Saturn Awards: Best ActionAdventureThriller
Movie, Best Actor Tom Cruise, Best Supporting Actor Bill Nighy, Best Supporting Actress Carice van Houten, Best Director Bryan Singer, Best
Music John Ottman, and Best Costume Joanna Johnston. Beside that
Valkyrie
also got BMI Movie TV Awards and Visual Effects Society Awards. The Internet Movie Database, 2009
Valkyrie
tells about how the way against of Nazi regime through conspiracy. The story is started with a Colonel Stauffenberg in Africa, writing
in a journal about his thoughts in World War II, and he swears to faithful for Hitler, but he feels that he has more obligations to Germany than his
allegiance to Hitler. Someday, Colonel Stauffenberg and his army attacked and he is seriously injured, losing one of his eyes, his right hand, and two
fingers from his left hand. In Germany, there is a nervous General Trescow on looking because
he and his partners hide a bomb in a wine case when Hitler visits a base camp. Hitler prepares to depart, Trescow and his friend give a wine case to a man on
Hitlers plane, but it fails to explode in flight, and Trescow must return to headquarters to retrieve it.
After learning that the Gestapo has arrested Major General Hans Oster, Trescow orders General Olbricht to find a replacement. After recruiting von
Stauffenberg into the German Resistance, Olbricht presents von Stauffenberg at a meeting of the secret committee which has coordinated previous attempts
on Hitlers life. In the meeting, Stauffenberg meets three of the most important figures in the organization. A Dr. Goerdeler, who will become Chancellor of
Germany should the plot succeed, a General Beck, who will lead the Armed Forces, and Witzleben. At a later meeting, Stauffenberg suggests they use
Operation Valkyrie, which involves the deployment of the Reserve Army to maintain order in the event of a national emergency, when Hitler is killed.
Stauffenberg rewrites the order to exclude the SS from taking control, which would leave the head of the Reserve Army, General Fromm, in charge of
Germany. Stauffenberg and Olbricht are surprised at Fromms rejection, but he keeps quiet, choosing to either support or reports them to the authorities.
Meanwhile, General Trescow is sent to the front lines. Stauffenberg is promoted to head of the plan, and he with his assistant Lieutenant Haeften,
take the order to the Berghof to be signed off by Hitler himself. And then, a Colonel Quirnheim shows the dissenters how to use pencil
detonators, and Stauffenberg persuades a General Fellgiebel, who controls communications at the Wolfs Lair, to help. Stauffenberg has been promoted
to General Fromms chief-of-staff, and thus has access to Hitlers military debriefings. Stauffenberg travels to the Wolfs Lair and has all preparations
ready, but notices Himmler is not present at the meeting and calls the committee to ask if he may proceed anyways. He is refused by the committee,
undetected by Olbricht, who mobilizes the Reserve Army anyways. As Stauffenberg safely extracts himself and the bomb from the bunker, the
Reserve Army believes they were just running a training drill, and Olbricht and Stauffenberg are ordered to report to General Fromm, who is outraged
they would mobilize the army without his permission. Stauffenberg is
surprised; the meeting has been moved from Hitlers bunker to an open window summer hut. Stauffenberg plans to proceed anyways but then notices
Himmler is once again not present. He calls the committee to ask permission to continue and they say no, but Stauffenberg and Quirnheim privately agree
to continue anyways. When the bomb explodes, Stauffenberg believes that the assassination was a success and flees the bunker. Fellgiebel calls Quirnheim
about the explosion but does not clearly convey whether the Führer is dead or not.
The general then cuts off communications between Wolf’s Lair and the outside. While Stauffenberg returns to Berlin, Olbricht refuses to mobilize the
Reserve Army until he knows without a doubt that Hitler is dead. Behind Olbricht’s back, Quirnheim issues the order for mobilization before
Stauffenberg’s return. With OperationValkyrie underway, Stauffenberg and the other plotters make orders to arrest SS officers and to take control of
Berlin’s government quarter, which would allow them to command the rest of Nazi Germany’s territories. Rumors spread that Hitler survived the
assassination attempt, but Stauffenberg dismisses them as SS propaganda. Fromm finds out
that communications lines to Wolf’s Lair are working and from Field Marshal Keitel at the bunker that Hitler is still alive. The general
resists the plotters, resulting in his arrest. Orders come out of Wolf’s Lair that contradicts Stauffenberg’s orders, and both are sent through out of the
communication director’s fears of wrongful interpretation. Despite the plotters’ partial control of Berlin, their ruse is discovered by the Reserve
Army, who releases the SS officers and pursues the plotters while the communications director cuts off their lines. They are detained and eventually
executed. Bryan Singer is director of
Valkyrie
movie; he was born in New York, USA on 17 September 1965. He graduated from West Windsor-Plainsboro
High School in New Jersey and then from USC cinema school in 1989. Before that, Bryan Singer has Production Company; Bad Hat Harry Productions is
named after a line in
Jaws
1975, one of his favorite movies. He attended The School of Visual Arts in New York City for a brief period of time but did not
graduate from there.
Valkyrie
is interesting movie for many people. In this movie Bryan Singer wants to show the plot of against to nazy. The desire to kill cruel leader
in this movie is an effort to save the society from drubbing. There are four points that make this movie interesting. The first is
Valkyrie
based on the real story during World War II in Germany. It concerns on story of the conspiracy
of secret movement. This movie not only gives knowledge about historical event in past but also it gives inspiration to everyone especially to Bryan
Singer as the director to show his knowledge in a movie. The second is how does the way to against of nazi in
Valkyrie
movie is one of interesting aspects to be studied. Singer shows against the order of nazi
to the audience that happened in World War II especially in Germany. Besides that, against the order of nazi through the conspiracy and the conspiracy
appears a negative opinion for many people, but in this movie it has different
explanation. It is very interesting because it is done in an organization of government. Against of nazi have lofty purpose and solidarity to save the
living of people. The third is an educating movie, the movie gives some advices to the
reader, the movie gives learning not to give up in reaching a dream and the movie also advises that cooperation is needed in teamwork to reach success. It
is interesting aspect; the solidarity can appear spirit for people. They will do everything and face the challenge although it risks their own life and family to
save the lives of people from bad government. The last,
Valkyrie
is suspense movie. The director makes the audience feel enthusiastic when enjoy this movie. This movie is supported by military
references in its story, it makes the audience enjoy this, seems to run ahead of the viewers when the movie shows military style. And also about the story
Valkyrie
has interesting plot story because it tells the effort of major character; Stauffenberg and his partners to fight against Hitler and his military. So, they
have to do this operation carefully in order to be successful. If they fail in this operation, they will die. It makes the viewers suspense during watching this
movie. Based on the previous reasons, the writer would like to analyze
Valkyrie
movie based on individual psychological approach, and the title is
AGAINST THE ORDER OF NAZI IN BRIAN SINGER’S VALKYRIE MOVIE 2008: AN INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH.
B. Literature Review
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